Nice To Meet You
by Roza Maiden
Summary: A beautiful, despairing princess. A cruel prince. An enigmatic young man. The Black Sage, perhaps, and...one curse. Eriol X Tomoyo
1. Chapter 1

*Real years: Time which The Black Sage goes through, with the effects of time-travelling removed.

_Once upon a time, there lived a very powerful being called The Black Sage. No one knew about his past, but everyone knew he possessed enough power to destroy worlds, for he controlled time, space and life. However, with such power came an equally terrifying curse. For 999 real years*, he will be unable to meet his lover. In the 1000__th__ real year, if he fails to keep her by his side, he would have to wait for a new cycle of 999 real years once again._

Beginning of Year 2199, where magic existed in the world.

Preparation for a very important celebration was ongoing in Psara. Princess Tomoyo, third-in-line to the throne, would soon be marrying Prince Glace from the neighbouring country Glines.

"Princess, your supper is ready." There was a knock on the wooden door.

"Come in."

Maria opened the door to reveal an ebony-haired girl lying in bed, reading. She sighed, the princess always seemed to grow more beautiful each time she sees her.

Tomoyo looked up from her book and smiled, "Good morning, Maria."

Maria blushed, "G-good morning, Princess Tomoyo." The princess had too charming a smile.

Tomoyo gestured towards the table beside the bed, "You may just leave it here, I'll have it later when I finish reading this novel."

Maria nodded, and stepped into the room, "What kind of novel is it this time, Princess?"

"It's about a girl who possesses tremendous magic power. She is a cardcaptor, and she falls in love with her rival. They go through so much adventure you won't believe it, Maria..." At the mention of 'novel', Tomoyo's eyes sparkled and she rambled on with so much passion and yearning in her voice that Maria felt almost too painful to continue listening.

She forced herself to smile, "I see, Princess. It must be a really nice novel."

Tomoyo's eyes softened, "Yes, it really is."

Upon leaving the room, Maria teared. It pained her to see a beautiful and free spirit such as Princess Tomoyo's to be locked up in this cold tower. Not only that, she thought bitterly, but also to be locked up forever. Being Princess Tomoyo's most trusted servant, she had had the chance to see for herself how Prince Glace was like. And it wasn't a pretty sight.

"_Oh my, Princess Tomoyo! You truly are beautiful," a deep but sinister voice had said, almost lustfully. It came from a young man who had yellow hair and cold blue eyes_.

"_Thank you, Prince Glace." Tomoyo bowed with graceful ease._

"_Prince Glace, I am honoured that you like my daughter so much." Tomoyo's mother said smile. Deep in her heart though, she absolutely abhorred this man before her._

"_Yes yes, whatever. The marriage shall be in a month's time. Before our wedding day, I should like her to be locked up in a chastity tower." He said, whilst shoving a gold ring up Tomoyo's ring finger, "Oh, do not take this off, my darling."_

"_Chastity tower...?"_

_A look of irritation flashed across Prince Glace's face, "Yes yes, have you never heard of that? Such a poorly informed and misguided country! In order for the bride to remain pure and fresh for the wedding day, she has to be locked up in a tower for a month. During that time, she must meet up with no guy. You two understand?" _

_Queen Sonomi clenched her fists in anger. How DARE this chauvinist imbecile-_

_Tomoyo stepped forward and held her mother's hand reassuringly. Then she turned towards Prince Glace and curtseyed, "As you wish, Prince Glace."_

_Prince Glace sneered, " I see that there is finally one person in this barbaric country that understands a woman's role is to obey males with no questions asked. I guess this is what you get for letting a woman rule a country."_

Maria shook her head. If not to save the country, Queen Sonomi would never allow Princess Tomoyo to marry such a pig.

Tomoyo bookmarked the page and stepped out of bed, leaving the book by her bedside. She sat down in front of her table and slowly ate the supper that Maria had left when she came. Tomoyo's ring reflected the light from the candle. A few teardrops fell from her face, but she immediately wiped it off. _No,_ Tomoyo thought,_ I must be strong, if not for my country, for my mother!_

Upon finishing her supper, she rang a bell by her bed and a maid came in to clear it up. Tomoyo stared out of the window, and she realised that tonight was a new moon. _Which means, exactly half a month has passed, another half...and he will come._

She looked down, and barely saw the ground outside the tower. Sighing, she blew out the candle on the table and went to bed.

Unknown to her though, a mage in black cloth had been below the tower staring at her. He smiled, his eyes passionate and almost luminescent, "Finally, I have found you. Tomoyo."

Tomoyo woke up with a start. Someone was in her room. She could feel his aura: this person was powerful. Very powerful.

"Who's there? Show yourself." Her voice took on a regal and authoritative tone.

No one answered, but almost immediately, Tomoyo felt her left hand grabbed by someone. She was about to call for help, when she caught sight of a pair of midnight-blue eyes. \_Tomoyo./_

Tomoyo was startled. He could use telekinesis. "Who are you exactly?" Tomoyo continued to question the mysterious presence in front of her.

_\ I am not able to tell you at the moment. But, I mean you no harm./_

There was a knock on the door, "Princess, is everything alright?"

Tomoyo turned to the door and called out, "Everything is fine! It was just a nightmare I had."

When she turned around, he had disappeared.

The next night, Tomoyo left the candle in her room lit. She was determined to find out who this person was. _He will come again_, she thought. Nestling herself in bed, she waited. And waited. And waited. By the time the clock ticked 1 am, Tomoyo was so tired that she was on the verge of falling asleep. Then, the wind blew the candle out. The window was open.

Someone came up to her. Tomoyo knew it must be that person from last night, but she had no energy left to open her eyes. He slipped beside her and gathered her in his arms. Though she shifted slightly at first, for some strange reason, she knew that he, indeed, meant her no harm. Comfortably, she fell asleep.

The black-robed mage smiled, seeing Tomoyo sleeping contentedly.

"Sleep well, my Princess."

I thank the following people for their encouragement! ^_^

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Thank you all of you~ ^-^ Peace and Joy!


	2. Chapter 2

Tomoyo woke up to a bright sunshine. Last night, she fell asleep...in the arms of that guy, no less. Tomoyo blushed at that thought.

"Maria."

"Yes, Princess Tomoyo?"

"Have you, by any chance, heard of a man with midnight-blue eyes?"

"No, Princess...Such an eye-colour is unheard of...Unless, you are speaking of The Black Sage. It is said that he holds the universe in his eyes. Apart from him, I cannot think of anyone else. But of course, he is just a legend. No one knows if he exists, or even existed at all." Maria replied after thinking long and hard.

"The Black Sage?"

"Yes, it is a very popular legend in my hometown. Apparently, he had saved the village 5705 years ago."

"Ah...Maria, could you please escort me to the library after breakfast? I have to do some research..."

The only thing which Tomoyo loved about the tower is that it had an extensive library of its own. Queen Sonomi, her mother, knew that she loved to read and thus in order for her not to feel lonely, had built a library especially for her.

Tomoyo walked into the library. Two flying books appeared in front of her.

"Hello Princess! What books would you like today? Queen Sonomi has just recently added 150 new books, and here is the list." The pink book conjured up a piece of paper, which flew perfectly into Tomoyo's outreached hand.

Tomoyo smiled, "Not today, Lucia. I would like to search for books on a particular legend. Or rather, a particular person."

"And who would that be, my Princess?" The blue book asked.

"The Black Mage."

The two books nodded and flew off. A few minutes later, they came back.

"I'm sorry, my Princess, there seems to be a barrier preventing us from searching." The blue book apologised.

Tomoyo pondered for a while, then replied, "It's okay then, thank you very much. Maria, you may take your leave. I shall go and search the book myself."

"But Princess, even if you do have magical eyes, how are you going to browse through every single shelf? There are 50000 of them!" Maria exclaimed.

"Exactly!" The pink and blue book chorused.

Tomoyo smiled.

"It is fine. Besides," she added softly, "I have too much time to spare anyway."

Maria and the two books kept silent, bowed, and flew off, afraid to continue the conversation.

Outside the tower, the tiniest of crescents was forming in the midnight sky.

Tomoyo sighed, and climbed down the ladder. She had lost count of the number of shelves she had searched, and her magical power seemed to be running out. She closed her eyes. In fact, the world seemed to be spinning...

Before she hit the ground a pair of arms caught her. She immediately opened her eyes but all she saw was darkness.

_\It's me. Do not worry, the darkness you see is simply something I have conjured up./_

Tomoyo grabbed his hand, and tried to speak. But nothing came out.

\_Please, do not question anything for now. The time will come when everything will reveal itself./_

Tomoyo nodded. Somehow, he always gave her a feeling of security.

_\Tomoyo, you should go to bed. It is late./_

No sooner had he 'said' that, she felt herself in bed. He moved away from the bed, preparing to leave. For some strange reason, Tomoyo began to panic, feeling around frantically for him. She didn't want him to leave.

He felt the tug on his cloak and turned around. His eyes softened at the sight of Tomoyo. He turned back and lay on the bed, hugging Tomoyo from the back.

_\Everything will be fine. Believe in me. Tomoyo, I love you./_

Tomoyo nodded, tearing up.

Such became a nightly ritual. Tomoyo, who had always had insomnia since her engagement was announced, could finally fall asleep peacefully.

A few days later, Queen Sonomi came to visit her daughter.

"Tomoyo, are you feeling well?" She smiled sadly.

"Yes mother, I am." Tomoyo reassured her with the brightest smile she could muster.

"I am truly sorry for being such a bad mother. I cannot rule this country properly: I caused it to fall into debt. And now I cannot even protect my own daughter's happiness..."

"No mother, I am very happy. At least, I get to protect the smiles of those I love most."

"I'm sorry. I truly am."

"Oh my, what a beautiful confession."

Turning towards the door, Tomoyo found Prince Glace clapping his hands with a look she absolutely hated. She stood up and curtseyed, "What brings you here, Prince Glace?"

He looked hungrily at her up and down, "My beautiful bride...I just negotiated with my mother and she agreed to shorten the chastity keeping to 25 days. Which means," he continued, eyes gleaming, "You shall be leaving here today."

"What?" Tomoyo looked at her mother, who turned her eyes away. She calmed herself down.

"Prince Glace, might you be so kind as to spare me one more day?" She needed to inform him, no matter what...

"Sorry darling, I can't wait that long." Glace chuckled and turned away, "I can, however, allow you 5 minutes to bid farewell to your mother. Thank me for that generosity, and treasure it well."

"I'm sorry, Tomoyo! I-I didn't know how to break it to you..."Her mother sobbed, hands cupping her face.

"Do not weep, my mother. I will be fine. Just that, if someone comes and asks you where I went..." Tomoyo hesitated.

"Yes?" He mother looked at her.

Tomoyo stared at her mother and at the people around her. _So many people, so many lives...No, she must not be selfish. _After a while, she shook her head, "No, nothing. I should be going soon, mother."

_I guess...this is goodbye._


	3. Chapter 3

Tomoyo looked at her reflection. It was a beautiful bride, with intricate pearls carefully woven through long, ebony locks. The flawless white gown clothed her, yet weighed her down. _To reality_, Tomoyo thought bitterly.

It has been two days since she had left her homeland. She now had trouble sleeping again, because...he had not reappeared. She sighed.

"Princess Tomoyo, it is time."

Tomoyo stepped into the royal garden, where the wedding is to be held. She walked down the red carpet and onto the stage.

"We are here to witness the joining of Prince Glace and Princess Tomoyo in holy matrimony..."

All Tomoyo could think were the words that he had once said.

_I love you._

"...and now, we shall begin with the test of purity. May the groom help his bride take off the wedding ring on her finger?"

Tomoyo looked towards Glace, confused.

"Darling, the wedding ring has witnessed everything from the point of proposal till now. If no man has gone close to you during this period, should it be thrown into the fountain of truth there, it will glow white. If however, you have betrayed me," He stared coldly, "The ring shall show us videos of those...moments and the bride shall be torn to pieces by those beloveds I rear there." He gestured towards the cage of animals. Lions, tigers, desert hyenas...Tomoyo shivered.

"So, darling...give me the wedding ring." Glace smiled.

Tomoyo felt an impending sense of doom, and clutched the ring tightly.

"Give me the ring, now. Or...you have been unfaithful to me? Hm?" Glace's eyes turned hard, mad with anger. He yanked Tomoyo's hair. She winced in pain, and taking the opportunity, he slipped the wedding ring from her finger, and threw it into the fountain.

"Let's see who your lover boy is!"

From the fountain, a scene emerged. An enigmatic young man. Dark blue hair, and midnight-blue eyes. _So, this is how he truly looks like, _she thought.

The crowd was abuzz. Glace's eyes turned wild with rage upon seeing the scene of the two hugging before him.

"You betrayed me. How dare you!"

He slapped her so hard that she fell onto the ground, the corner of her mouth bleeding slightly.

"Do not touch her."

Tomoyo and Glace both looked up, only to find the same man they had seen moments earlier reflected by the ring.

"Guards! Tie him up!"

"No! Prince Glace, please, let him go!"

"Silence!"

The enigmatic young man was tied up within moments. Tomoyo's eyes widened in fear. She thought, that with his power, he could at least remain unscathed in this mess she created...Glace laughed crazily and glared at him.

"Any last words?"

He looked at Glace coldly, "I guess you don't."

Glace -incapable of comprehending the young man's words- pondered and shrugged, "Bye-bye then."

"No, Prince Glace, please! I will do anything you want, just, do not harm him!" Tomoyo sobbed. Now, she had harmed another innocent life...

"Tomoyo. Do not beg someone like him. He is not worth it." He added, using telekinesis, _\Trust me. Remember me. My name is Eriol, Eriol Hiiragizawa. I will come back for you, I promise.../_

"Why you-Guards, off with his head!"

Eriol smiled at Tomoyo, _\See you soon./_

"ERIOL!"

A bright light covered the entire scene.

"W-What is this?! This power...It's The Black Sage! He's distorting Time and Space! Run!"

_Ah, so he was The Black Sage after all,_ she thought, before her world turned into darkness.

Year 2201, Glines.

An ebony-haired girl closed her photography shop for the day.

"Job well done today, Tomoyo." She muttered to herself, smiling.

"Yes, I agree."

She looked up, and saw a man with dark blue hair and midnight-blue eyes. His eyes seemed to hold the universe. For some reason, she seemed to have a feeling that she met him before...

"Nice to meet you, Tomoyo Daidouji. I have come, as promised. Although, you might not remember me anymore..."He smiled sadly.

She walked towards him and grabbed his hand. As if recoiling from a shock, she drew her hands away, and tears started escaping her eyes.

"I apologise, but somehow...my heart seems like it is going to burst."

Eriol looked at her with pained eyes and embraced her, "I apologise too. It was all my fault."

She froze.

"Eriol..."

His eyes widened, and looked at her disbelievingly, "You...remember me? Even though I distorted Time... I wasn't sure if your memories would still be intact...but usually they wouldn't be..."

"From the moment you embraced me...my soul never forgot."

"Eriol Hiiragizawa, was it?"

"Yes?"

Tomoyo smiled, tears in her eyes, "Nice to meet you too."

Eriol laughed with joy and, almost trembling, bent down and kissed her.

_There once lived a very powerful being called The Black Sage. He endured the passing of 999 real years simply to meet his lover in the 1000__th __and to have a chance to save her, keep her by his side. It had been exactly 100 cycles._


	4. Extras: Prequel

At sunset.

A small girl of five years and a small boy seemingly seven sat on a log side by side, in front of a lake. The girl had long ebony hair and a matching pair of black orbs. The boy, on the other hand, had dark blue hair and midnight blue eyes.

"So, Eriol…where are you from?" The girl asked curiously, whilst playfully causing ripples in the lake with her feet.

The boy named Eriol smiled, "England. What about you, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo laughed and gestured to herself, "I am from Japan! Does Eriol like England?"

"I do. Tomoyo, do you like Japan?"

Tomoyo nodded her head cheerfully, but then, as if she remembered something, she looked down sadly, "I like Japan, all of my friends are there…However, mother says it is dangerous to be there."

Eriol was puzzled, "Why? Did she explain?"

Tomoyo shook her head and then stared intently at a star-shaped mole on her right foot, her mind drifting off. No exchange of words was passed and the two children simply sat there, hearing the crystal-clear water rush towards the shore.

_I wonder, if I will ever get to see Sakura again, or even step foot into that land. Seeing how mother started crying the moment I objected to leaving for Russia…_

Eriol abruptly stood up. Tomoyo looked at him quizzically.

He smiled and held out his hand to her, "Then, would Tomoyo allow me to be your good friend? I cannot guarantee that you will not miss your friends, but I will try my very best."

Tomoyo stared at him momentarily. Then, a big smile spread across her face, and she happily placed her hand in his, "Yes. Allow me to be your best friend too, Eriol!"

Eriol replied with a chuckle and gently pulled her away from the log, "Let's go, the moon is already up. Any longer and we will have to walk home in the dark."

Tomoyo looked up at the sky to see a faint silhouette of the full moon. It seemed almost like a quieter reflection of the setting sun. She smiled, glad that she had made her first new friend in Russia.

…

_Tomoyo, do you remember? That was how we met._

_Tomoyo, I am willing to be The Black Sage and inherit its curse, if it meant you could live._

_Tomoyo…_

_If we had not met at Lake Baikal, things would have been different. If I could twist space to create that world for you to live in, I know I should have enough power now to travel back in time and prevent us from meeting. That way, neither of us would get hurt._

_However…forgive me, I am selfish. I cannot bring myself to do so._

_So please, just wait for one more cycle, the 100__th __one, before I truly give up and return you to the real world, to Lake Baikal._

_Erase my presence, and return you freedom._

Prequel inspired by the following duet(roughly translated by Roza Maiden):

See profile page for link! ^_^

**Baygal Nuur(****贝加尔河畔****)**

_In my arms,_

_In your eyes,_

_That place holds spring winds drowsy;_

_That place possesses grass so lulling._

_Moonlight has spilled love_

_Onto the lake's surface:_

_The campfire for two_

_Lights up the whole of night._

_Countless years_

_Like clouds, silently slip away;_

_The ever-changing footsteps_

_Interferes with our mutual love._

_In this lifetime,_

_Exactly how many of our moments together_

_Have been drowned out by the fluid moonlight of the night?_

_How I yearn, that one day,_

_We can relive past memories._

_Let us lose ourselves_

_At Baygal nuur._

_Countless years,_

_With the clouds, pass._

_That flurry of ice-cold snow stands not gentleness._

_In this lifetime,_

_Time is too limited,_

_To prove my passion, a passion capable of melting that ice-cold snow._

_And then one day,_

_You suddenly appear,_

_So clear, pure yet mysterious,_

_At Baygal nuur._

_So clear, pure yet mysterious you are,_

_Like Baygal nuur._


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